Gout Forum - Gout Treatment , Gout Diagnosis

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Gout is a common type of arthritis and accounts for about 5% of all cases of arthritic condition. But what is gout and what are the stages of this condition?...

Q: Gout Treatment , Gout Diagnosis

asked by: goutinmygenes on June 5th, 2007

New User

Just wanted to say hi to everyone here and introduce myself. I am a 33 year old gout sufferer. My dad and my mom's dad both had gout.

To complicate my condition I am allergic to allopurinal which is what my dad has been taking daily forever as he drinks himself into oblivion...

anyways so I have been trying to monitor what I eat and drink since I had my first really bad attack last summer (I think I had previous attacks that I figured were injuries).

I rarely drink anymore and try to stay away from shell fish and red meat.

I and my dr agreed a beer or two every now and then wouldn't be too bad as long as I paid attention to being hydrated.

So I had 2 beers on memorial day sunday and by thursday I had a gout attack in my ankle that was crippling. At first I began taking colchicine as it has worked in the past, however there was no response.

then my primary care doctor thought it was an infection and treated for that starting on Friday.

Over the weekend it got worse and I ended up in the ER. again treated for an infection but they were thinking gout again.

So saw my primary care dr again on monday and he says it's gout but may be brought on by infection. Wants me to stay on antibiotics and puts me on steriods. also tells me to take the indomicin which I makes me very sick.

Things are getting better today (tuesday) but I missed a big work conference I was supposed to fly out to sunday and be at monday and today.

So I'm pretty down now.

I just don't know how to get this under control?

I asked my dr how we should precede as I the attacks were occurring more frequently (2 major attacks in less than 6 months) and he gave me the same print outs again that really don't have any new information. don't regularly eat shelfish, red meat, drink alcohol, etc.

but I don't know - my dr doesn't seem to know much more than what is on the print outs.

I'm wondering if I should see another type of doctor?

have people out there found one type of doctor is better versed in handling gout than another?

how often do others get accute attacks?

how much do I need to cut out of my diet? can I never have a beer? can I not eat red meat, at all?

I'm just a little bewildered today and hope you don't mind my long post. could really use some info and just sharing of experiences so I know what to expect.

thank you

Replies(12)

accordboi

replied on June 5th, 2007

New User

I'm still trying to figure it out myself. I had my first big attack in early April. Then i had a 2nd attack in early May. They say the second doesn't come until like 6 months later or something, but mine came a month later. Though i'm pretty sure it had to do with me taking vitamin c supplements since the 1st attack. Anyways, the first thing you need to do is go find out your uric acid levels. They do that through a blood test. That can give you an idea of how hight your uric acid levels are, which are a big contributor to gout. Once you know that, you can then decide what to do next, but that is usually the first step.

goutinmygenes

replied on June 6th, 2007

New User

my uric acid levels seem to be around 7.2 at the time of the attack. My dr says the uric acid levels actually are pretty normal until after the attack and symptoms have gone away, then they increase as the crystals flush out.

accordboi

replied on June 6th, 2007

New User

7.2? wow.....during my attack, my level was 6.1. The range is suppose to be from 3.0 to 7.0 so you're on the high end. I'm starting to think that no matter what i do, its inevitable thanks to hereditary reasons. Still, i do what i can do prevent it which is simply eating healthier. Cut the alcohol completely, i know i know, its hard, but its for the best. I love red meat but have to be careful with that and try to eat chicken or lean meat. And seafood, well, i don't ever really crave that so i'm good. Eat more vegetables (the greener the better) and drink water like you've never drank before. Cantaloupes, watermelon, cherries, and bananas are the best fruits for neutralizing the acid in your system. Last but not least, remember, each time you have gout, you're damaging your joints so think twice before you reach for that alcoholic beverage. Other than that, you're pretty up to speed to where i am at.

pcrisell

replied on June 7th, 2007

New User

accordboi wrote:

I tried a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a glass of water 3 times a day. First thing in the morning after lunch and just before bed. Consult your doc first. Worked wonders. Balances your body's PH level. Drink water all day, you'll piss like an elephant but it is worth it

JYY2

replied on June 7th, 2007

Experienced User

More testimonials and survey results of baking soda on gout, etc., can be found at: http://www.ICuredMyGout.org .

painfree

replied on June 8th, 2007

Experienced User

More important than how you eat is how you sleep. Make sure that you don't have sleep apnea. Check out [links removed] , and the book "The Perils of Sleep Apnea - An Undiagnosed Epidemic".

EddieZ2000

replied on June 11th, 2007

New User

I've had attacks of gout since I was 16 years old but also thought they were injuries since I was active in athletics and was officially diagnosed at 22. I totally believe that diet is only a small factor. I'm now 40 years old. I have been in great shape weight wise and athletic conditioning wise and still had gout attacks. I have watched my diet closely and still had attacks.

Some mention sleep apnea as a major cause of gout. I don't snore very often and I sleep good at night and wake up well rested. My wife is not aware of me not breathing at night.

I think gout is a curse from the devil himself. Ok not really but it is a metabolism disorder that is hard to keep balanced. I find I get attacks when I begin to get into shape (working out endurance running bicking ect) once in shape not many attacks. I get attacks when falling out of shape (stop working out gaining a couple of pounds) but once in poor shape not many attacks. I get attacks after a beer or alcohol binge but not if i'm just drinking a couple a few days a week. The bottom line is the more balanced and stable my life the less attacks.

I'm being treated with 300mg of allopurinol and it works most times although changes in life style still cause minor attacks and if I forget to take my pills for a couple of days and have a alcohol binge I can count on an attack. Best things I can do when I get an attack is taking indocin, take ibuprofin, lightly message the area affected (usually my big toe) with my hands, elevate my foot, ice my foot, and relax on the couch.

For those with gout attacks and goutinmygenes I want to say I totally understand your depression and frustrations. The pain, lack of control, inconveniences and did I mention throbbing pain of can drive you crazy. I really don't think your diet affects your gout all that much other than excess alcohol. The bigger factors for me seem to be changes in life weight up or down, getting in shape or falling out of shape, a string of stressful days, a string of lack of sleep. For those with attacks let me tell you I feel your pain (literally) but you can control it will medication and a balanced lifestyle.

See your doctor and get medicated . When you do get an attack try to relax becuase there is only so much you can do to shorten your attack and stressing out does not help.

JYY2

replied on June 12th, 2007

Experienced User

Sudden increase or decrease of the body's level of urate (uric acid plus monosodium urate, MSU) can shed the protective coatings to expose the raw MSU crystals in the joints to trigger gout attacks. The conditions that can jolt the body's urate level include: sudden changes in physical and mental conditions, medication (includes alcohol consumption), medical conditions, etc. Therefore by avoiding sudden changes of these conditions, one can avoid or reduce the chance of gout attacks.

The goal of urate lowering therapy is to keep the blood urate level below 6 mg/dL. If 300 mg of allopurinol a day is not enough to achieve the goal, one needs to increase the dosage. To avoid gout attack when restarting allopurinol, restart it at a lower than normal dosage plus colchicine or an NSAID, and gradually increase the allopurinol dosage to the desired level and wean off colchicine or an NSAID.

As to what to eat, we can eat anything -- provided eat less of high purine and low pH foods and drinks. The pH and the uric acid content of foods and drink in mg/100g can be found in section 4 of ICuredMyGout.org.

Makoto

replied on June 13th, 2007

Experienced User

Just want to add my support of taking baking soda. Since I started taking baking soda from time to time(when I feel I might have an attack, or that I know I have been taking too many foods and drinks that might bring on an attack)I have not had an attack or anything. My last attack has been 9 months or so ago.

I have been on trips and vacations where I have not been careful with my food, but because I have had the baking soda close at hand, I have not had to suffer through an attack.

I can not recommend the advice on baking soda enough. There is no need to suffer through a gout attack. I know baking soda sounds strange, and it tastes terrible, but I'd rather baking soda over a gout attack any day.

rajdhan

replied on June 19th, 2007

New User

Makoto wrote:

I have read lot about the baking soda treatment, especially on these forums. Do you guys have any numbers to back it up ? What was your uric acid level before and after you started the baking soda treatment.

Baking soda treatment sounds simple and too good to be true, but when I check with my doc. he goes, don't go by the stuff on the internet... Not that I believe him completely. Even, if I ignore my doc's suggestion, which I am willing to, then there is the question of injecting such a strong base into the body. I have heard from people where, injecting too much of baking soda into the body has caused some kind of ulcers in the intestine and stuff like that.....
I am not trying to scare anybody here, but the fact is that baking soda is an inorganic chemical compound which is very powerfull and we have to really careful in using it.
All said and done, I myself had half a spoon of baking soda mixed in a glass of water last night. I went for it, even though I am scared of taking chemicals. The reason being, my UA level was 11.2 yesterday morning. It's like an ATTACK waiting to happen. And somewhere deep inside me, I really wish that baking soda is really the treatment for Gout.

If you read this post to this point, all I want to say is Thank you.

But I would really appreciate if the baking soda proponents could back their claims by some numbers .....

JYY2

replied on June 21st, 2007

Experienced User

A study has shown that taking 10 grams (about 2 measuring teaspoons) of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) a day can reduce the blood uric acid level by 1 mg/dL. While bs seems to do some wonders for some gout patients, it is not the best thing for lowering the ua level. How well does it work for gout patients? As of today, a survey carried out in [link removed] shows:

If you have tried baking soda to treat and prevent gout, was baking soda:
extremely useful:...... 456 (59%)
very useful:...............113 (14%)
useful:.......................91 (12%)
not very useful:...........40 ( 5%)
not useful at all:..........78 (10%)

BS is a weak base and is quite safe to ingest by mouth. It is commonly used in cooking, baking, antacid, etc. On the other hand, "injecting ... baking soda into the body" is very dangerous. Doctors inject only minute amounts of sodium bicarbonate in patients' veins to alkalize their bodies, often under emergency conditions.

The blood uric acid level of 11.2 is quite high. It increases the chance of gout, uric acid kidney stones,... However, due to the side effects of the drugs, doctors are not to treat hyperuricemia with drugs unless the patients have a few gout attacks, kidney stones, tophi (urate crystals) built up in the body, etc. More hyperuricemia and gout info can be found in the above mentioned webpage. Take care.

baby_cat

replied on June 27th, 2007

New User

my grandma used to cut lady finger(vegetable) Laughing

and soak it overnight and in the morning she use to drink the water. or you can also consume lady finger in the form of salad. if you need some salad recipe then let me know

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